


Shadows Will Never Hurt You

by Dorksidefiker



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-31
Packaged: 2017-12-05 17:27:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dorksidefiker/pseuds/Dorksidefiker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if everything Jack thought he knew about how he became a Guardian was untrue?  What if it was all just a test?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Part Where He Says I Told You So

**Author's Note:**

> [Yet Another Kink Meme fill.](http://rotg-kink.dreamwidth.org/2389.html?thread=4198229&posted=1#cmt4208469) Maybe eventually I'll build up enough Good Fill Karma that people will start filling my prompts.
> 
> And while we're dreaming, I want a pony.

For about a week, everything was _so good._ Jack was riding high on the euphoria of being Believed In after defeating Pitch Black and saving the other Guardians. He was a hero, he had friends, life could only get better-

Then Sandman had come to him in the night, escorting Jack to North's Workshop. The others were already assembled there, looking unusually nervous when he arrived. Tooth couldn't seem to meet his eyes when she greeted him, and Bunny kept looking away from Jack every time his gaze landed on the newest Guardian. North was solemn and silent, dismissing the elves and yetis quickly.

"Jeez, what's with all the long faces?" Jack asked, worry growing in the pit of his stomach. "Did the elves blow up this year's stock of Christmas presents? Gum disease on the rise? Is Bunny finally going bald?"

"Jack..." North sighed hugely, stroking his beard. "There is something you need to know. About Pitch."

Jack forced a laugh, sitting walking along the railing that edged the balcony overlooked by North's globe. Millions of beautiful little lights made it glow, reassuring Jack that at least for the moment things were still alright. "That old shadow? What's he doing now, making creepy noises and hoping someone will hear?"

"Actually, he's trying to enjoy a cup of tea," Pitch murmured, "but I shall keep that in mind for later."

Only Bunnymund's quick reflexes kept Jack from tumbling off the rail and down into the bowels of the workshop. Pitch emerged from the shadows beside the fireplace, daintily raising a tea cup to his lips and taking a rather pointed sip before casually stepping aside to avoid a blast of ice from Jack. "And now it's gone cold."

Bunnymund grabbed Jack's arms, pinning them to his side while North placed himself between Jack and Pitch, who was staring mournfully into the tea cup. Jack kicked and cursed, but Bunny refused to let go. Tooth flitted back and forth, calling Jack's name and begging for him to calm down and just hear them out, but it was North's words that finally penetrated.

"Jack, Pitch is a _Guardian_ , like us!"

All the fight drained right out of Jack as he gaped at North in horror. Tooth looked deeply apologetic, and Sandman had joined the 'Not Able To Look Jack In The Eye' club as he brought Pitch another cup of tea. The Boogeyman, for his part, looked utterly unsurprised by Jack's reaction, and was significantly more interested in filling his cup with sugar.

" _Have you all lost your minds?_ " Jack demanded, resuming his struggle to get free of the Easter Bunny. "He's _Pitch Black_! He made all the kids stop believing in you! _He kidnapped your fairies and stole the teeth!_ "

Tooth winced, eyes locked firmly on the floor. "It was a test," she whispered. "To see if you were worthy of being a Guardian."

"A test?" Jack whispered. " _A test?_ " he repeated with a roar. The North Wind howled through the workshop, scattering toys and elves, buffeting yetis, and finally bearing down on the Guardians with all it's chilly might, drawn to the pain of it's master. Tooth was blown about like a feather, and North clutched the table to keep from being knocked to the floor while Bunnymund finally released Jack, unable to keep hold on him while fighting not to be pushed over the rail. Sandman built himself a wind shield from his sands... and Pitch remained utterly unmoved, leaning against the fireplace.

" _Wind, take me **home!**_ "

Jack was gone in an instant, leaving a wide trail of destruction in his wake. The Guardians fought to catch their breaths while Pitch looked up at the sliver of moon hanging in the sky.

"I believe this is the part where I say 'I told you so'."


	2. Professional Monster

"I doubt it will be much comfort," Pitch announced, detaching himself from the heavy shadows beneath the trees, "but you were not the only one being tested."

He moved quickly to avoid become a permanent ice sculpture at the side of Jack's pond while pretending to be interested only in the heavy grey clouds that filled the sky. The snow had stopped for the time being, but it would no doubt come again.

Jack had been given a day alone to sulk before the first tentative attempts to speak with him had been made. Tooth had been forced to retreat before even finding the winter spirit, her wings too coated in ice to allow her to fly. The next night, Sandman had been sent away by a wind so strong it had uprooted trees. The third day, North had been pelted with hailstones the size of baseballs, leaving him mildly concussed by the time he conceded that Jack was not going to talk to him. Day four saw Bunnymund half frozen and wandering in circles until he opened the way to his Warren. All the while, the sky was filled with clouds and Brugess was blanketed in a thick layer of snow, despite it being well into April.

And now it was Pitch's turn. At least he'd had better luck than the others in finding the boy, but he did have an advantage; so long as there was a shadow to lurk in, Pitch could go anywhere. It made searching for Jack so much easier.

The spirit in question hovered over the middle of his pond, face twisted in a snarl of rage that Pitch understood perfectly. No one liked to be lied to or manipulated, even by those with the best of intentions. Jack had been thoroughly betrayed by those he had come to trust after centuries of loneliness; this was not a wound that would heal in less than a week.

Regrettably, no matter how justified Jack was, the snowstorm could not be allowed to continue. Mother Nature had already dubbed the migraine it was giving her 'Jack', to go along with the ulcer she called 'Lunar' and the twitch of her right eye that had been dubbed 'Daddy'. If it went on for much longer, she was likely to step in, and that would end well for no one.

"I don't care!" Jack snapped, and as Pitch had predicted, it began to snow again. "I don't wanna hear it!"

"And yet, I continue to talk," Pitch said, diving swiftly into another shadow to avoid more ice and emerging on the other side of the pond. "They didn't know what I was going to do. Only that I was to play the villain in our little shadow play." He smiled humorlessly. "I'm very good at it, you know."

"You think this is _funny_?" Jack launched himself at Pitch, swinging his staff at the Boogeyman's head. Pitch spun away, graceful as a leaf on the wind as he avoided each of Jack's attempts to split his skull open.

"Not in the least." He reached out, grabbing the staff before it could connect. "I think that the others had grown far too complacent, secure in their roles. I think they should not have lost the belief of children so quickly if they were actually doing their duty, rather than just coasting along. I think the Guardians came perilously close to truly losing everything."

Jack tried to jerk his staff out of Pitch's grip and failed utterly. "And here I thought you were a Guardian," he spat.

"I am. And my duty, first and foremost, is to the well being of the children. Something you might wish to recall, before you continue with this tantrum of yours." Pitch let the staff go, sinking back into the shadows. "No one can make you work with us. You don't even have to like us. But _remember the children._ "

 

The next day, the sun shone on Burgess for the first time in nearly a week, melting away layers of snow.


	3. A Thankless Job

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, this story became so much more about Pitch than Jack. I'm not sorry.

The fairies swarmed Pitch the moment he emerged into the sultry warmth of Punjam Hy Loo, chirping angrily at him as they hovered ominously close. Carefully, he parted the fairy cloud with his arms, nodding slightly. "Ladies. I take it the gift baskets haven't arrived yet."

The fairy Jack had dubbed Baby Tooth flew straight into his face, glaring daggers. Pitch pointedly remained unmoved, letting her rant. It was always good to let the fairies get whatever they had on their minds out. They were quick to anger, but most were equally quick to forgive.

Baby Tooth went on for several minutes while the others swirled about, some leaving to attend their duty as collectors of teeth and keepers of memories. Finally, the torrent of abuse came to an end. Pitch extended a hand, letting the little fairy come to rest on his palm. "I think he'll be alright," he confided, "he just needs a little time."

Baby Tooth chirped, folding her arms over her chest. He wasn't forgiven for what he'd done, but she wasn't going to press the issue. More of the fairies took that as the cue to land on Pitch, poking his hair and fussing with his robe until he met their exacting standards. Patiently, he opened his mouth and let them have a good look inside. The tooth their queen had knocked out was growing back nicely. Once satisfied, the swarm peeled off, and Pitch followed Baby Tooth to where Toothiana was giving directions.

She took one look at him and announced, "I'm not sorry."

"Neither am I," Pitch assured her. "Jack has finally released his icy grip on Burgess, but I would tread lightly there for a while yet, were I you."

"That's... good," Toothiana conceded. "Anything else?"

"Two things." Pitch smiled at a few passing fairies, one of whom nearly dropped her burden with a sigh before remembering that _they were all mad at Pitch_. "I want my tooth back. And then we will be going over your performance during my little trial."

Toothiana nearly dropped out of the air, spinning to face him. " _What_?"

Pitch couldn't resist letting his smile turn into a smirk. "After everything that happened, do you still believe that the test was only for _Jack?_ No, my dear, it was for all of you. And while you came together admirably, you have been found... somewhat lacking."

He would make the fruit baskets extra large. Eventually, he would be forgiven.


	4. Mean Green Mother

Jack let the North Wind carry him, clutching a grubby, much folded slip of paper in his hands as he read it for the hundredth time.

_To Master Jack Frost,_  
 _The pleasure of your company is requested. I wish to discuss_  
 _with you the events of your recent investiture as Guardian_  
 _and your position as a Spirit of Winter._

_When you are ready to talk, ask the North Wind to bring you to me._

_Looking forward to your reply._

_Mother Nature_

 

The name had been written in the shape of a stylized butterfly, smudged now from weeks of Jack folding and refolding the note.

_The pleasure of your company is **requested**._

Not demanded, not 'shoved into a sack and tossed through a magic portal', not raised will-he, nil-he from an icy grave.

_Requested_.

The note had arrived nearly a month ago, born by a squirrel who had chittered and nipped at Jack's bare toes until he took the damn thing. Nearly a month, and he'd made no effort to reply, fully expecting the request to turn in to a command -- or a kidnapping. Instead... absolutely nothing had happened. He'd been left alone to tend to his believers and chase off the other Guardians when they ventured too close for his liking.

_The pleasure of your company is requested._

Curiosity had finally gotten the better of Jack, and he let the North Wind carry him away from Burgess. The distant moon shone down on him, making Jack feel more alone than ever.

The wind dropped Jack on a remote mountainside, almost on top of the woman sitting on the edge of a cliff. She pushed the hood of her long grey cloak back, raising a thin black eyebrow at him, but saying nothing. She wasn't what Jack would have called beautiful; her face was all angles, long and thin and dominated by a beak like nose that gave her a certain bird-like quality. Her widely spaced eyes were the same stormy grey as her cloak, and in the moonlight her teeth were very white against her dark skin. "Good evening, Master Frost." She turned her attention to the storm boiling up in the valley below.

"I got your note," Jack said, holding out the note in question. Mother Nature smiled, bare feet swinging in the open air.

"You gave me quite the migraine with that little storm of yours. I was starting to wonder if I needed to step in, being _the_ Spirit of Nature and all." She patted a patch of cliff beside her. "I'm given to understand you're having some issues with your new friends."

"They're _not_ my friends!" Jack snapped as it began to snow in the valley. "They lied to me! They played me for a fool -- they're probably still laughing at me right now!" He glared up at the silent moon above them. "Must've been a great show from up there!"

Mother Nature followed Jack's gaze, snorting softly. "Pay attention, Jack Frost, because I am going to do something I have never done before, and will likely never do again. I am going to come to the defense of that great round pest."

Jack dropped onto the cliff side beside the ancient nature spirit. "Not a fan?"

" _Hardly_." She shook her head, tucking a stray black lock behind her ear. "But I've known him for a terribly long time. For someone like _him_ , three hundred years is -- it's _nothing_. An eyeblink. And he has _always_ been alone." She tilted her head back, moonlight playing across her face. "It's just him up there, and it has been since he was a child. I think... I think when he looks down at us, he _sees_ , but he doesn't truly _comprehend._ "

Jack watched Mother Nature with a distrustful expression. "And _you_ do?" he asked. "Three hundred years, and this is the first time you've shown _any_ interest in me... being _the_ Spirit of Nature and all."

Mother Nature turned her face from the moon, meeting Jack's sneer with an apologetic expression. "Three hundred years," she admitted, "isn't that long for me, either. And His Highness requested that I leave you to find your own way. Maybe someday, he'll even tell us _why_."

The storm continued to rage below them, lightning dancing in the clouds. "Why would you do that, if you're not such a big fan of the Man in the Moon?"

For a while, the only sound was the echo of thunder.

"He gave me back my father." Mother Nature took a hank of hair and began twisting it into a long, thin braid. "But now, I think, the favor has been repaid in full, and I may do as I please. And so," she added, "can you. Guardian or not, Jack, you are a nature spirit. You don't have to remain under that great fool's thumb. I can help you."

"You sound like Pitch." Jack glared once more at the moon, suspicion returning to his face. "This is another test, isn't it. He wants to see what I'll _do_."

" _Everything_ is a test, Jack. Some are just more serious than others." She slid off the side of the cliff, letting the wind catch her even as she pulled her hood up over her head. "The Man in the Moon chose you, but it's up to _you_ what to do with your life. If you ever want to talk again, the North Wind will always know how to find me." Mother Nature dropped into the storm, leaving Jack looking up at the ever unresponsive moon.


	5. The Thing About Diamonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told a tiny lie. One more chapter, but I make absolutely NO promises about any more ever coming.

It was six months before Jack Frost willingly spoke to any of them, and then it was Baby Tooth, and _only_ Baby Tooth.

At the best of times, anyone else who tried ended up on the wrong end of a cold, silent stare. At worst, it was like he was trying to make the Blizzard of '68 look like a gentle rain shower.

Thus, only three people were aware of Mother Nature's steadily growing influence over the Guardian of Fun.

Baby Tooth chose to say nothing, instead watching the ancient nature spirit for any signs of malignancy towards her friend. Pitch Black occasionally brought up that Jack seemed to be making friends to his fellow Guardians, but refused to elaborate. And if the Man in the Moon had anything to say about it, then no one understood, or they chose not to listen.

The first Easter after Jack was chosen as Guardian was cold and wet, but there was little in the way of snow. The moment Bunnymund started to complain, Baby Tooth began dive-bombing him. In the shadows, Pitch Black smirked, filching a bit of chocolate. Children still turned out in droves to hunt for brightly colored eggs, and after the utter failure of last year's Easter, Bunnymund would take what he got and be grateful.

Anything to avoid having Pitch go over his failings as a Guardian at length again.

A few winter themed eggs found there way to Jack's pond as a peace offering. They were shared between two nature spirits, who discussed the nature of grudges and their proper place in the lives of immortals at length over the next several weeks.

When the Summer Equinox came, North invited all the Guardians to his workshop. Summer Equinox had long held a special place in the Guardians' calender; Easter was over, and it would be months before Bunnymund could really being to start on the eggs and chocolates for the next one, and North was not yet kicking Christmas production into high gear. While it was true that there was no real rest for the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, or the Boogeyman, all three were willing to make time in their busy schedules to enjoy North's hospitality. Until recently, it had also been the one day a year when all of them could really touch bases; Jack had brought them back together, after hundreds of years of drifting apart.

The idea that Jack might not come cast a certain pall over the celebrations; only Pitch seemed to be enjoying himself, but it was generally agreed that even at the best of times, the Boogeyman was an unpleasant little sod with a nasty sense of humor, and thus was largely ignored.

Thus, all and sundry were delighted when Phil announced that Jack had arrived, waiting outside the rarely used doors of the workshop until the yetis let him in. The good cheer lasted right up until Jack reached the platform where they were assembled, his arm looped through Mother Nature's.

The silence was deafening. Jack stood straight and proud, unsmiling as his eyes went from one Guardian. Mother Nature looked smug as she allowed one of the yetis to take her cloak and hang it up. There was nothing that said they couldn't bring guests, of course, but long centuries of custom dictated that the gathering was for Guardians only; something Mother Nature was well aware of, if her smile was anything to go by.

From the shadows beside the fireplace, Pitch Black watched with narrowed eyes.

"I'm afraid I must apologize for making us late," Mother Nature purred. "We didn't want to arrive without a gift." She produced a large lump of coal like a magician pulling a playing card from thin air.

"Is... very nice," North said slowly, reaching out to take the unexpected gift.

Mother Nature pulled it back, smiling faintly. "It's not done yet," she explained, wrapping both hands around the lump of coal and squeezing. There was an awful, indescribably sound before she stopped, extending the present once more. Where there had once been a lump of coal, now there was a large, uncut diamond. North plucked it from her palm, holding it up to the light. It wasn't much to look at yet, but a few hours with the right tools would no doubt turn it unto a gem of unsurpassed beauty. "Now, is there anything here to eat that _hasn't_ already been licked by an elf?"

"Maybe in the kitchen," Jack suggested. "I'll get you something." He was gone before anyone could stop him, diving off railing and clearly eager to once again put as much distance between himself and his fellow Guardians as possible.

Pitch slunk from his place by the fire, studying the diamoned with a critical eye. "You never could resist a metaphor, could you?"

"It's a shameful addiction," Mother Nature admitted cheerfully, pulling her father into the briefest of hugs. "Years and years of pressure to produce something so beautiful... and so hard... and so very, very brittle if you know just the right spot to hit it." She turned to look at the great, spinning globe that dominated the room. "I don't like it when other people break my things," she added, "and Guardian or not, Jack Frost will forever be a Spirit of Winter. Do try to treat him with a bit more care."

"Of course we care about Jack!" Tooth insisted. "We never meant to hurt him, and we weren't expecting... _any_ of what happened." For a moment, she glared at Pitch, who refused to look anything but unrepentant. 

Mother Nature failed to look at all impressed by the Tooth Fairy's protest. "I believe there's a saying... something about what paves the roads to hell? I think that applies wonderfully in this case."


End file.
